ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Skill Development Scheme for Women
The Ministry of Minority Affairs  specifically implemented various skill development schemes namely ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘USTTAD’ and ‘Nai Manzil’ for six notified minority communities in which minimum 30% seats were earmarked for female trainees. Besides these, a scheme namely ‘Nai Roshni’ was also implemented for leadership development of minority women aimed at empowering women through leadership training on various topics.
All the above-mentioned schemes have been last evaluated and assessed by independent agencies during 2020-2021 as per details given below:
|
|
Scheme
|
|
Impact Evaluation Agency
|
|
Year
|
|
Seekho Aur Kamao
|
|
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
|
|
2020
|
|
USTTAD
|
|
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
|
|
2021
|
|
Nai Manzil
|
|
Mott MacDonald
|
|
2021
|
|
Nai Roshni
|
|
Centre for Market Research and Social Development 
|
|
2021
In the last three years and the current year, 36,492 beneficiaries have been trained under these schemes including 27,217 women beneficiaries which is more than 74% of total beneficiaries.
All the above-mentioned schemes have been converged into an integrated scheme called ‘Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan ’. PM VIKAS scheme, which has three components:
 Skilling and Training ;
 Leadership and Entrepreneurship ;
 Education .
No target allocations have been made in the current financial year under PM VIKAS scheme.
This information was given by the minister of minority affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister pay tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan on his Birth Anniversary
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid tributes to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan on his Birth Anniversary.
“I pay my humble tributes to India’s true son Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary. He made a significant contribution during India’s struggle for freedom, and in the post-independent era made an incomparable contribution in protecting our democracy. His sacrifice and dedication are always memorable”
Ministry of Communications
Last date for submission of Applications under Design led Manufacturing scheme extended till 5th August 2022
Registration process for Design-led manufacturing under the PLI Scheme for Telecom and Networking Products started from 21st June 2022
The registration process for Applicants for Design-led manufacturing under the Production Linked Incentive  Scheme for Telecom and Networking Products has started from 21st June 2022. The last date for submission of the Application was fixed as 20th July 2022.
Keeping in view the requests made by some of the interested companies and for wider participation, it has been decided to extend the last date for submission of Applications on the Scheme Portal  up to 5th August 2022.
President's Secretariat
President Kovind becomes first President of India to visit Siachen in 14 years; addresses soldiers posted there; says every Indian is grateful to them and stands by them and their families
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, visited Siachen Base Camp today  and addressed the soldiers posted there. He also visited the Kumar Post. President Kovind is the second President of India to visit Siachen. The previous visit was undertaken by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in April 2004. This makes President Kovind the first President to travel to Siachen in 14 years.
Addressing the soldiers today, President Kovind said that as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and as the President of India, he has come among them carrying the gratitude of the entire country. The President noted that Siachen is the world’s highest battlefield and it is difficult to live even a normal life in the extreme climate. In such a situation, it is extraordinary for soldiers to stay in a state of constant mobilisation and combat readiness. Their determination and dedication is worthy of the highest praise – and their allegiance to the defence of India is an ideal for all our fellow citizens.
The bravery and valour of soldiers deployed in Siachen over the past 34 years, the President said, has given every Indian the confidence that our borders are safe and secure. The President said he had come to Siachen to iterate to the troops posted here that all citizens of India and the Government of India were always with them and supportive of their families.
The President also paid his respects at the Siachen War Memorial, which is a symbol of the sacrifice of 11,000 soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Arjun Munda Meets M/o Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to Explore Convergences to Drive Tribal Empowerment
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda had a meeting with Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan yesterday to explore convergences to drive tribal empowerment. Managing Director, TRIFED Shri Pravir Krishna was also present in the meeting. As a part of its continuing, ongoing efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of the tribals and work towards tribal empowerment, TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairsis exploring convergences and partnerships with government departments and like-minded organizations to create synergies together.
During this meeting, several aspects of collaboration were discussed with the aim of moving towards tribal livelihood development while harnessing the common strengths and expertise to the maximum benefit. The key initiatives that came up during the discussion included promoting tribal development entrepreneurship programmes through VanDhanKendras, TRIFOOD in Jharkhand for locally available produces like Ratanjot,, tomato, sericulture etc. and also setting up of Tribes India outlets in Corporation Owned Corporation Operated premisesof the PSUsunder Ministry of Petroleumand Natural Gas.
During the meeting, Shri Arjun Munda also gifted a set of beautiful handcrafted Tribes India masks to Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, who acknowledged the gift and mentioned that he was delighted with this gift and that these handcrafted masks should reach each and every Indian as a part of the “ Be Vocal for Local Campaign!
Taking tribal welfare and development to the next logical phase, TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs is planning convergences with various Ministries and Departments and expert institutions such as Ministry of Rural Development , Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises , Ministry of Food Processing Industries , DMF, ICAR Ministry of AYUSH with the aim of improving sustainable livelihoods and income opportunities for these tribals. The scope of convergences will range across different aspects of development. TRIFED plans to expand the Skills Development and Micro entrepreneurship programme, together with the Tribal Livelihoods program. It is planned to be an umbrella initiative riding on national level initiatives such as “AtmaNirbharAbhiyan”, “Go Vocal for Local” and other programs of Ministries.With the successful implementation of this collaborationand many more upcoming convergences, TRIFEDhopes to help tribals in generating income and livelihoods which should then result in a complete transformation of tribal lives and livelihoods across the country.
Special Service and Features
Regional Dak Adalat of Central Postal Region
Kochi: February 17, 2023
The Regional Dak Adalat of Central Postal Region of Kerala Circle  for the 1st Quarter of 2023 is proposed to be held online on 27.3.2023 via Google Meet Platform at 11 am.
The complaints pertaining to the Post Offices under Central Region, Kochi - 682020  will be taken up in the Adalat and will cover matters relating to postal services including counter services, savings Bank, money orders etc.
Those who wish to file any complaint/petition before the Dak Adalat may please send their complaints/ suggestions to the email-ids - adpgcr.keralapost[at]gmail[dot]com or pmgcr.keralapost[at]gmail[dot]com titled "Regional Dak Adalat: March 2023" or by post addressed to Smt. Jissy George, Assistant Director [PG], 0/o the Postmaster General, Central Region, Kochi - 682020. The mobile number and email id of the applicant to be clearly specified in the complaint.
Complaints should reach the above email id/address on or before 6.3.2023. Complaints/Suggestions taken up in the previous Adalats will not be entertained. The Google meet ID will be intimated directly to the applicant by email.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approves disposal of Chana procured under Price Support Scheme & Price Stabilization Fund and enhancement of quantity procurement ceiling under PSS from existing 25% to 40% in respect of Tur, Urad and Masur
Rs. 1200 crore to spent for implementation of this Scheme
15 lakh MT of Chana on offer at the discount of Rs. 8 per kg over Issue Price of the sourcing State
States/UTs to utilize these pulses in Welfare Schemes/Programmes
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved disposal of Chana  to States/UTs at discounted rate to be utilized for various Welfare Schemes from the stock of pulses procured under Price Support Scheme  & Price Stabilization Fund , and enhancement of ceiling on quantity of procurement under PSS from existing 25% to 40% in respect of Tur, Urad & Masur.
Under this approved Scheme, the States/UTs Government are offered to lift 15 lakh MT of Chana at the discount of Rs. 8 per kg over Issue Price of the sourcing State on First come first serve basis. The States/UTs to utilize these pulses in their various Welfare Schemes/Programmes like Mid-Day Meal, Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Programmes  etc. in their States/UTs. This will be one-time dispensation for a period of 12 months or till complete disposal of 15 lakh MT stock of Chana whichever is earlier. The Government will spend Rs. 1200 crore for implementation of this Scheme.
The decisions will enable the States/UTs to use Chana in various Welfare Schemes like PDS, Mid-Day Meal Schemes etc. besides making available space of warehouses, which may be required in coming Rabi season for accommodating fresh stocks procured under Price Support Scheme which will help in getting remunerative price of pulses to the farmers besides, encourage more farmers to grow such pulses by making higher investment and help them in fetching remunerative price for their produce. Moreover, this also helps in achieving self-sufficiency of such pulses in our country.
In recent times the country has witnessed an all time high production of Chana  especially during the last three years. Government of India under Price Support Scheme has made record procurement of Chana during Rabi 2019-20, 2020-21 & 2021-22. Due to this, 30.55 lakh MT of Chana is available with the Government under PSS & PSF in the coming Rabi season also, the production of Chana is expected to be good. This coupled with increase in Minimum Support Price for Chana during 22-23 will entail additional procurement under Price Support Scheme.
Ministry of Power
REC signs USD 100 million Foreign Currency Term Loan Agreement with EXIM Bank
REC Limited, the Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power, has signed a Foreign Currency Term Loan Agreement for USD 100 Million, with Export Import Bank of India . The proceeds of the loan will be used towards refinance for on-lending to REC’s borrowers in power, infrastructure and logistics sectors for importing capital equipment. The funds will be raised as part of REC's Market Borrowing Programme of Rs. 1.20 lakh crore for the year 2023-24.
This is the first term loan being extended by EXIM Bank to REC. The loan has been tied up for a 5-year tenor and is benchmarked to SOFR , which is the benchmark rate for the loans denominated in USD.
Commenting on the occasion, Chairman and Managing Director, REC Limited, Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan said, “We are delighted to partner with EXIM Bank of India to bridge the financing needs of power, infrastructure and logistics sectors and sign the loan agreement for USD 100 Million.”
REC Limited is an NBFC focusing on Power Sector Financing and Development across India. Established in 1969, REC Limited has completed over fifty years of operations. It provides financial assistance to state electricity boards, state governments, central / state power utilities, independent power producers, rural electric cooperatives and private sector utilities. Its business activities involve financing projects in the complete power sector value chain; for various types of projects including Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Renewable Energy. REC’s funding illuminates every fourth bulb in India. REC has recently diversified into financing infrastructure and logistics sector as well.
Ministry of Science & Technology
NCSTC brings out popular COVID Katha in Hindi
COVID Katha: A multimedia guide for mass awareness
Carries important information on A-to-Z of COVID-19 pandemic
The National Council for Science & Technology Communication , Department of Science & Technology  in association with Dr. Anamika Ray Memorial Trust, has brought out the Hindi version of the Popular Multimedia Guide for Mass Awareness carrying important information on A-to-Z of COVID-19 pandemic.
The English version has already been released early this month. In order to fulfil the great demand of the Hindi version of COVID Katha especially from the Hindi heartland, the Hindi edition of the COVID Katha has been brought out with added and revised information for the benefit of the people.
Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST while appreciating the COVID Katha: A multimedia guide for mass awarenesshas said that the interpretation of science in common man’s language is important for awareness amongst laypersons and Hindi being largely spoken language the Hindi version of COVID Katha carries more value. Prof. Sharma said that science cartoons  while carrying scientific messages and explaining the health concepts in a simple manner also add humour and amusement during the present health crisis when people feel stressed!
To spread general awareness on COVID-19 using multimedia techniques and digital platforms, the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, has come out with an interactive electronic guide to help people understand and address the pandemic with suitable knowledge and confidence.
Interestingly, a people supported COVID Katha movement has been started across the country, and a chain reaction is taking shape. The COVID Katha is being translated in the Khasi language of Meghalaya; Tamil version is also coming up; people are working on Bengali and Assamese versions on their own.
Various science communication enthusiasts are effectively trying to put together COVID Katha in different formats, i.e., Flip version, Animations, Videos and other formats. Several official agencies are also using various elements of COVID Katha in their social media and other mass communication campaigns on COVID-19, i.e., Do’s & Don’ts, Scientoons, daily information using one alphabet every day, etc. Hindi and other languages versions of COVID Katha would help spread awareness deeper into grass-root level.
Click here to see COVID Katha in Hindi
Click here to see COVID Katha in English
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on Hanuman Jayanti
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Centre rushes high level teams to Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to support the States in COVID response and management
Active Caseload declines to 4.85% of Total Cases
Recovery Rate increases to 93.69%
The Union Government has decided to depute high level Central Teams to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to support the States in COVID response and management. These States have been either reporting a rise in the number of active cases i.e. those who are hospitalized or are in home isolation under medical supervision, or demonstrating a rise in the daily new cases.
These three-member teams will visit the districts reporting high number of COVID cases and support the State efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The Central teams shall also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up.
Earlier the Union Government has sent the high level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur, and Chhattisgarh.
India’s present active caseload  has further declined to 4.85% of the total Positive Cases, and has been sustained below the 5% mark. The Recovery Rate has improved to 93.69% today as the country registered 43,493 new recoveries in the last 24 hours taking the total recovered cases to 85,21,617.
The gap between Recovered cases and Active cases is steadily increasing and presently stands at 80,80,655.
26 States/UTs have less than 20,000 active cases, as on date.
7 States/UTs have active cases between 20,000 and 50,000 whereas Maharashtra and Kerala are reporting more than 50,000 caseload.
77.68% of the new recovered cases is contributed by ten States/UTs.
Delhi saw 6,963 persons recovering from COVID. Kerala and Maharashtra reported 6,719 and 4,088 new recoveries respectively.
Ten States/UTs have contributed 76.81%of the new cases. In the last 24 hours, 45,209 persons were found to be infected with COVID.
Delhi reported 5,879 cases in the last 24 hours. Kerala recorded 5,772 new cases while Maharashtra reported 5,760 daily cases yesterday.
15 States and UTs are reporting less than the national average of cases per million population.
76.45% of the 501 case fatalities that have been reported in the past 24 hours are from Ten States/UTs.
22.16% of new fatalities reported are from Delhi which reported 111 deaths. Maharashtra saw a fatality count of 62 while West Bengal reported another 53.
13 States and UTs are reporting higher than the national average of fatality rate .
Whereas, 21 States and UTs are reporting lower than the national average of deaths per million .
14 States and UTs have more deaths per million population than the national average .
Ministry of Finance
CBDT identifies non-filers through Non-filers Monitoring System  by using Data Analytics and request the Non-filers to assess their tax liability for AY 2018-19 and file the Income Tax Returns  or submit online response within 21 days
The Non-filers Monitoring System  aims to identify and monitor persons who enter into high value transactions and have potential tax liabilities but have still not filed their tax returns. Analysis was carried-out to identify non-filers about whom specific information was available in the database of the Income Tax Department. The sources of information include Statement of Financial Transactions , Tax Deduction at Source , Tax Collection at Source , information about foreign remittances, exports and imports data etc.
Data analysis has identified several potential non-filers who have carried-out high value transactions in Financial Year 2017-18 but have still not filed Income Tax Return for Assessment Year 2018-19 .
The Department has enabled e-verification of these NMS cases to reduce the compliance cost for taxpayers by soliciting their response online. It is reiterated that there is no need to visit any Income Tax office for submitting response, as the entire process is to be completed online. Taxpayers can access information related to their case from the ‘Compliance portal’ which is accessible through the e-filing Portal of the Department at https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. The PAN holder should submit the response electronically on the Compliance Portal and keep a printout of the submitted response for record purposes. User Guide and FAQs are provided under the “Resources” Menu on Compliance Portal.
Non-filers are requested to assess their tax liability for AY 2018-19 and file the Income Tax Returns  or submit online response within 21 days. If the explanation offered is found to be satisfactory, matters will be closed online. However, in cases where no return is filed or no response is received, initiation of proceedings under the Income-tax Act, 1961 will be considered.
Special Service and Features
Intellectual Property Festival 2023 celebrated at CSIR Campus, Chennai
As India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, as a part of it Rashtriya Boudhik Sampada Mahotsav- IP  awareness campaign is being organised jointly by CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre , CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute . On 19th July 2023 around 300 students from various engineering colleges in and around Chennai were invited to participate the IP Awareness Programme event at CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai.
Dr. R. Bhanumathi, Deputy Controller of Patents & Designs, Indian Patent Office, Chennai was the Chief Guest of the function. Dr N. Anandavalli, Director, CSIR-SERC and Co-ordinating Director, CMC, delivered the welcome address. During the welcome address Director said reason for selecting students from colleges as the audience for this function is, as young minds have lot of creative ideas it is important that they should be well aware of protecting the intellectual rights at their young age. Dr. Subhendu Chakrabarti, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CLRI, introduced the Chief Guest to the audience.
Dr. R. Bhanumathi, delivered the IP Festival Lecture on “Intellectual property rights-Indian perspective” In her address, she explained the students about various types of Intellectual Property such as Patent, Copy Right, Trademark, Design in detail and the means and ways to protect it. She explained how the IPR protects the owner of the original knowledge by excluding others.
The event was coordinated by Shri. R.D. Sathish Kumar, Principal Technical Officer CSIR-SERC, and Dr. Tamil Selvi, Sr. Principal Scientist, CSIR-CLRI proposed a vote of thanks.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
197.08 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 92,576
Active cases stand at 0.21%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.58%
10,917 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,27,72,398
11,739 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
86.07 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 4,53,940 tests conducted in the last 24 hours